Admit it
by Bankotsu Babeh
Summary: Everything seems to be content when Zexion gets another year older. Hidden feelings go fine unnoticed. But when a deadly accident leaves them wanting to go exposed, will it be too late?


Description: Everything seems to be content when Zexion gets another year older. Hidden feelings go fine unnoticed. But when a deadly accident leaves them wanting to go exposed, will it be too late?

Disclaimer: Me no own Kingdom Hearts! D

-- Admit it --

"Shh…Be quiet! Do you wanna wake him up beforehand? Almost there…Shh…"

Eleven Organization members (Xemnas was busy staring at Kingdom Hearts) crept through the quiet hallways. They finally reached their destination, and despite all of the hushing and shushing, they could hear faint snoring on the other side of the door.

"One…Two…Three!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZEXION!!" They shouted in unison, bursting through his door and jumping in his room. He shot up into a sitting position, his eyes as wide as they could possibly go. He was positive that he'd die due to the sudden shock.

Finally catching his breath, he managed to send each member a death-glare. His eyes made their way to the clock, though they were a bit shaky. It was eight o'clock. And in Zexion's opinion, that was early. _Very_ early.

"Shut up!" he moaned moodily, slamming his body back down in the bed and burying his entire being with blankets. He should've known it wouldn't be that easy to make them all leave.

Demyx jumped on the left side of the bed, hopping up and down ferociously. "Come on, Zexy, wake up! Wake up! It's your big day!"

Zexion sighed. "Demyx, stop!" he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter than they were. He felt someone else flop onto the right side of his bed.

Of course, it was Axel. Number 8 laid down beside the birthday boy, delicately removing the covers from his face. "Hey there, sexy. Don't you want to get out of bed? Ooh, I get it. You want all the fun to be _in_ bed. With me," he said in a coy voice, bringing his face dangerously close to Zexion's.

Zexion's eyes snapped open and he shot up again, nearly falling off the bed in an attempt to get away from Axel. "Alright, alright! Just give me some time to get dressed, will you?" he grumbled, pushing Demyx off so he could get out of the bed.

Axel laughed. "Works every time!" He made his way back into the group, trying his best to ignore the glare Roxas was casting him. "Hey, I had to do it! There was no way he'd come unless I threatened him!"

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas mumbled, crossing his arms and following the rest out of the room. Finally, Zexion was alone. He locked the door and jumped back into his bed, although in this Castle, having locks on doors were pointless when they could all use portals.

He just wanted to rest for a few more minutes. Besides, if he stayed in his room, someone would just drag him out. To his misfortune, it seemed like he wouldn't even be getting the smidge of rest he wanted. Xigbar poked his head out of the portal he'd made in the ceiling.

"Uh-uh-uh!" he said, a devious smile playing across his lips. He knew just how to annoy Zexion. "You have to get up _now_! Unless you need Axel back in here to heat things up for you."

Zexion sighed and picked himself up off of the bed once more. He placed his hands on his hips and glared up at the Freeshooter. "Now, what if I was in the middle of getting dressed?" he asked, annoyance fluttering in his voice.

Xigbar's smile still remained. "Then I guess I would've seen you naked! Duh!" And with that, he left.

"Idiots, all of them," Zexion stated, wandering to his closet to fetch his clothes.

He couldn't believe that all of them had just barged into his room like that. His eyes wandered down his body, examining the little that he was wearing. Just boxers and a pair of pajama bottoms. He didn't like people seeing him with his shirt off, but that kind of went out the window.

Sulking a little, he retrieved his clothes and slipped them on, and then slowly walked out of his room. He didn't exactly know what to expect, only that he wouldn't enjoy it in the least.

He found all of the members sitting at a round table, awaiting his arrival. Marluxia stood up, a wide grin spreading across his gleeful face. "Zexion!" he chimed, waving for him to come forward. "We all got you presents! Come open them!"

Zexion sighed, slinking over to the table and taking a seat. He never did like events where he was the center of attention. He was very self-conscious and anti-social. Still, each member passed their gift down, going in the order of ranks.

Xigbar, being the jokester that he is, got Zexion a rather filthy magazine. Number 6 looked up, slightly horrified, only to see Xigbar smirking and giving him two thumbs up. The Cloaked Schemer carefully lifted the magazine and set it down on the floor beside him as if it were infested with bugs.

Xaldin simply gave him twenty bucks, and Vexen donated some research equipment that Zexion had been asking for. Lexaeus got him a gift card to some random store, Saix got him a book of some sort. Axel insisted that his presence was quite enough, which earned him a slap on the back of the head from Roxas. He insisted it was a joke, and passed Zexion twenty more dollars.

Demyx had been freaking out for the longest time, screaming about how he lost his present. He'd long since ran up to his room, throwing each item he owned out of the door in search of said gift.

Luxord threw a piece of paper at Zexion, a sly grin on his face. Once unfolded, a phone number could be read. The birthday boy frowned. "Is…is this _your _number?" He asked, his voice cracking. Luxord rolled his eyes. "Of course it isn't! You look like you need a girlfriend, lad, just call that number there whenever you're feeling hor-"

"Thanks, Luxord!" he interrupted, his face turning several shades redder than Axel's hair. He crumpled up the number and dropped it on the floor next to the magazine. Marluxia passed down a box that was wrapped in bright hot-pink paper with a red ribbon on top.

"You're going to love mine the best!" He assured, waving his hand. Zexion looked down at the present fearfully, remembering what the other members had gotten on their birthdays before.

_Fuzzy pink handcuffs, a box of candies, a bouquet of flowers. Some sort of oil, condoms, rubber bracelets. _

Zexion shuddered. He slowly pulled the ribbon and lifted the top off of the box. His eyes narrowed as he reached in, pulling out its contents. "What is this?" he questioned, holding up a puppy by its scruff.

"Oh, that's a puppy, silly! Her name is Zsa Zsa!" Marluxia giggled, clapping with joy. The Cloaked Schemer stared at it curiously. A puppy. He'd never had one of those before. It was a husky, he knew that much. Zsa Zsa. Who names a husky Zsa Zsa?

Although he looked a bit unenthused, Zexion secretly didn't hate the idea of having a pet. It's not as if he ever got to have one before, what with Xemnas always saying no whenever Demyx or Roxas tried dragging one back to the castle.

This is when Saix spoke up. "Marluxia, you know the Superior doesn't allow pets in the castle," he stated, glaring at the husky.

"But this is different!" Marluxia defended himself, standing from the table.

"Yeah, this was a gift. So he has to let me keep it," Zexion added, shocking everybody in the room. He sort of wished he hadn't spoken up. But the cute sky-blue eyes staring at him told him otherwise. He set the puppy in his lap, accepting another present that was being passed his way.

This present was from Larxene. He almost feared what it was going to be. He rolled his eyes when he read the piece of paper that she handed him. "It's something you always needed, Zexion," she stated. It simply read: "A LIFE."

Roxas gave Zexion some sort of video game, so that left just Demyx's present as a mystery. "I'm going to go see if he found it yet," Axel volunteered, creating a portal and leaving.

"Thank you all for the gifts. I appreciate it," Zexion said meekly, petting Zsa Zsa. The only ones who stuck around to wait for Demyx were Xigbar and Marluxia, but after about fifteen minutes, they left as well.

The Cloaked Schemer made his way back to his room, his new friend trailing behind him. Upon entering, he planned on taking that nap he'd been craving. Still, that wasn't about to happen.

He found Demyx and Axel sitting in his room, wide smirks plastered onto their faces. Zexion raised an eyebrow, truly confused. "Why didn't you come back and get me?" he questioned, not exactly loving the fact that they'd been in his room all that time without him knowing.

"Because I couldn't give you your gift in front of all those people!" Demyx stated simply, standing from the seat he had taken on the floor. Right on cue, Axel got up and closed the door.

This is when Zexion started getting nervous. Why were they closing the door? And why were they stalking closer and closer to him? He was beginning to feel his self-consciousness kick in.

"Surprise!" Demyx shouted, holding out a tiny bag about an inch away from Number 6's face. A bit stunned, he finally breathed and took the bag.

There he pulled out a small plastic card. It was a gift card to 'The PetSmart That Never Was.' He sighed, a bit relieved. He didn't know what it was he was expecting, but...

"See! If you would've gotten that before Marluxia gave you...um...Zsa Zsa, it would've ruined the surprise!" Demyx chimed, his playful grin growing wider.

Zexion finally managed to snap from his thoughts. "Oh, yeah...Thanks a lot, Demyx." He laughed nervously, trying to shake away the feeling he'd gotten when the door was closed and the Melodious Nocturne was nearing.

"No problem!" Demyx's smile faded a bit. He could sense that something wasn't quite right. "What's wrong, Zexy? Don't you like your gifts?"

"Of course I do," Zexion stuttered, glancing over to Axel. Smirking, Number 8 wandered over to Demyx, leaning closely to his ear.

"I think he wants something _more_..." he joked. He summoned a portal directly after hinting this, and began to step inside. "Welp, it's been real. Happy birthday, Zexion. I've got some business to attend to with Roxas!"

And with that, he left. Zexion stood awkwardly with Number 9, flipping the gift card over in his hands. Demyx realized the static in the air and took a step forward. "Uh... I...I gotta go..." he muttered, pausing when he was beside the Cloaked Schemer. Axel's words rung through his ears. He stared intently into the visible cobalt eye before him, frozen in the moment.

In rather a hurry, Demyx shook his head and stumbled out of the room. Zexion was still glued to the same spot, trying to unscramble his thoughts. He finally managed to place the card down on his desk and slip into his bed.

_That was...odd. Why did I suddenly get that explosion of feelings when Demyx and I were alone? I can't like him, can I? That's impossible. I refuse to believe it. _A whining and scratching noise stirred through his thoughts.

He peered down and onto the floor, seeing a distressed puppy desperately trying to claw her way up onto the bed. _How annoying. _Rolling his eyes, he slid Zsa Zsa across the floor with a mere push of his foot. After doing so, his thoughts led him into a fragile and quick sleep.

--

_I guess if I really think about it, I've always liked Zexion. _Demyx lay in his bed, tossing a small beanbag up in the air and catching it. _Still, my feelings have never suddenly kicked in like that. Today they were so forceful, and I could barely resist the urge to just blurt all my feelings out to him. I wonder if he feels the same way...Pfft, NO CHANCE. He doesn't like me at all, let alone in that way._

A series of knocks interrupted his thoughts. "Come in!" Demyx yelled lazily, rolling off of his bed. Not much to his surprise, Axel came barging through the door and immediately started rambling.

"Demyx, did you see the way he looked at you? Oh my god! He practically got a friggin hard on right in the room-"

"WHAT?" The Melodious Nocturne cut in, his eyes wide with shock from the sudden use of vocabulary. "Woah, woah, woah, slow down. Who are you talking about?"

Axel looked as if he had just told his friend that his hair was red, and he had questioned it. "ZEXION!" He shouted, acting like it was the most simple thing in the world.

"What...about him, now?"

"God! He's in love with you! Did you see the look he gave you when he saw you in his room? Priceless! He wants you!" Axel shouted, shaking Demyx.

Number 9 blinked. "Nuh uh. No way. Never in a million years." He slapped Axel's hands away, suddenly feeling hurt and self conscious. He turned around and jumped on his bed, squeezing his pillow.

Rolling his eyes, Axel jumped on the bed as well, landing on his stomach beside Demyx. "I'm telling you, Dem. He's interested, no doubt. You need to start showing signs that you're interested as well, but remember who you're dealing with. Don't move too fast. He's mister 'ooh look at me, I hate the world and don't feel anything else.'"

Demyx rolled his eyes. "Listen Axel, I'm drained. I think I'm gonna take a quick nap, so..." He stared at Axel, waiting for a response.

"Oh, right, sorry." The redhead replied, getting off the bed and heading for the door. Right before he left, he smirked and added, "Zexion WANTS YOU!"

--

_"What are you saying?"_

_"Zexion, I love you! That's what I'm saying!" _

_The blood rushed to my face as I stood in shock, refusing to believe my ears. I couldn't even breathe, let alone react. Finally, Demyx moved closer and our lips met. I could feel the tingly sensation travel all through my body as the enjoyable stun set in. It felt as if we were in a sauna; I was so hot. Then-_

"ZEXION!" An annoyed voice called at an alarmingly loud volume. Zexion's eyelids slowly pulled open, his pupils adjusting to the sudden sights they were asked to translate.

"Mmm...hmmm?" he moaned, not quite happy with being woken up from his nap. He sat up in his bed, feeling a bit uncomfortable. His clothes were plastered to his body and his hair stuck to his face with sweat.

He turned his head to the right, viewing Axel standing beside his bed. "A-Axel!" he shouted, a bit alarmed. He stripped his hair off of the side of his face, trying to cool himself down. And then he noticed just how tight his pants were…

"God, Zexion! I called your name so many times, people might get the wrong idea about me being in here! You wouldn't wake up, you just sat there moving around and smiling. Look at you! What were you dreaming about?"

"Uh...I...um..." He decided the best way to hide his little problem was to bring his knees to his chest, which he did. He managed to get a hold of his senses for a moment and say what he usually would.

"What was so important that you absolutely _had _to wake me up?" he asked, his tone dropping to one of frustration. He dreadfully feared that Axel would send his gaze below Zexion's face and notice...but fortunately, those emerald eyes stayed dancing towards the visible sea-colored one.

"I wanted to tell you that..." Honestly, he hadn't planned out exactly what he would say. All he knew was that he was Mister Match Maker today. He grinned slyly, trying not to show how nervous he was at the moment.

"Demyx wanted to see you in his room for a sec," he stated simply with a smooth recovery. Zexion blinked. How would it look for him to just waltz into the room all sweaty and out of breath, and with that little situation in his pants?

"Right NOW?" he asked in shock, his voice raising until it squeaked. Axel quirked an eyebrow curiously, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, yeah. What did you want to do, shower and dress up or something?"

_Shit. There goes the shower I needed. _

"No, but I've got some business I need to take care of first. Especially since I fell asleep." He sighed inwardly, secretly pleased with his excuse.

"Oh..." Was all that Axel could manage. "Well, just make sure you go up to his room as soon as you can." And with that, he portalled away.

Zexion kicked his covers away and stood from his bed. Gathering an exact replica of his current cloak, he walked into the bathroom and set some towels beside the tub. He softly closed the door and turned on the cold water full-blast. He almost never took a shower that was below a humid temperature; he rarely even settled for warm. But he was so hot that he thought he might pass out at any second.

He peeled off his wet clothes and stepped into the shower, allowing the icy water to tingle and slide across his warm skin. Zexion rested his forehead against the tiled wall as his thoughts engulfed him. Finally he washed his body and his hair, then turned the water off.

He dried himself and quickly pulled a comb through his damp hair. Putting on some fresh clothes, he portalled up to the ninth floor and knocked on Demyx's door. No answer. He knocked once more, this time a bit louder. No answer.

_Well isn't this grand. Axel tells me to come all the way up here, and Demyx isn't even in his room--_

He was stopped dead in his thoughts when Demyx's door creaked open. There stood the Melodious Nocturne, hair slightly messy from being against a pillow. Zexion couldn't help himself, and didn't even want to think about noticeable his gawking was. His eyes widened as they scanned down the rocker's body. He was in cobalt boxers with sky-blue bubbles scattered all over. Demyx. Boxers. Oh god.

Fortunately, Demyx was too busy yawning to notice how much the other was staring. His eyes were watering slightly due to the yawn that had escaped his mouth, making his blue orbs seem to dazzle. "Oh, Zexion. What's up?"

Zexion stood in shock, silenced by the other's radiant body. "...Uh...Um...I..." That was the first time in his entire life that Zexion, number 6, The Cloaked Schemer, was left speechless and had to resort to stuttering. He gulped and finally managed to collect himself. "Axel..said you needed to um...see me?"

Demyx frowned a bit as he thought. He made the cutest face, sleepiness written all across it. Finally, it dawned on him. Axel was trying to be Mister Match Maker again. He rolled his eyes at the thought of it.

"Oh, yeah, I um...I forgot!" He laughed a bit, giving an apologetic smile. If anyone could pull that line off in the castle, it would be Demyx. Zexion sighed, not sure if he should be grateful or disappointed.

"Of course. Sorry for waking you," the other muttered, turning and creating a portal. He half expected to be stopped, but not to his surprise, he was able to leave freely.

To Zexion's oblivious mind, Demyx had actually thought about stopping him. But he decided that it would be a bit much. For now, he'd let this fish slip through the net, until it was time to catch him and keep him forever.

Demyx shook his head and summoned a portal. He needed to have a talk with Axel. He appeared in front of the door and knocked three times, seeming to be a bit irritated. It took the other quite a while to answer the door, and when he did, he was slightly out of breath.

Axel stood before Demyx, also in just his boxers. He managed to even out his breathing and said, "Oh, Dem, it's you! Uh, look, I'm a little busy at the moment. Can we make this quick?"

Demyx raised an eyebrow, sneaking a peak through the cracked door. Naturally, he spied Roxas in the room as well. Blinking the image away, Demyx responded, "Yeah, how come you told Zexion I needed to see him?"

Axel frowned. He looked noticeably annoyed, as if the subject would take too long to discuss, or it wasn't supposed to be figured out at all. "Um...Oh yeah, didn't you wanna talk to him? I mean, you like him right? Demy-Baby, listen, we can talk this all out and you can tell me everything, okay? Just give me a bit. I'll drop by your room when I'm finished. See ya in a few...hours!" Axel muttered the last part, closing the door quickly and running in his room.

Demyx rolled his eyes and returned to his own room. He only took the nap because he was bored anyway. He didn't need any more sleep.

--

Zexion sat on his bed and fiddled with his puppy's tail, clearly deep in thought. He had to admit, this was the most amusing birthday he'd ever experienced. Usually he would have stayed in bed all day or read a book. But with all the lunatics in the Organization, he'd never have a calm birthday again.

He sighed as he stood from his bed and headed for the door. Zsa Zsa followed, whining impatiently. "No, stay here," Zexion ordered, holding up his hand in a halting motion. He slipped out of the room and shut the door, creating a portal that lead into the Castle library.

This wing of the Castle was usually very quiet, and sometimes Zexion was the only one who was in there. He enjoyed and cherished his solitude, so it didn't bother him any. He walked slowly along the many shelves of books, scanning over each familiar title with bland taste of interest.

"Happy birthday, Zexion," Vexen said in a proper tone as he scurried into the library.

"Thank you, Vexen," the other replied, not even averting his eyes from the shelves. Vexen gave a curt smile before he shoved a book into its proper spot, grabbed a new one, and then simply left the library. A sigh slipped from the remaining member. Ah, alone again.

His eyes continued to scan listlessly over the books. It seemed that each one he caught sight of, he'd already read numerous times. To be honest, Zexion didn't even know why he was in the library at all. He was just boredly wandering around, trying to find something to do.

He took out a random book, raked his eyes over the words, and then put it back. He just couldn't concentrate on reading, for once. Sure, he saw the words printed on the paper, plain as day. But they didn't compute into his head. He was just...blah. The perfect word to describe how he felt. Blah.

Like he did every two seconds of his life, Zexion began to think to himself. _This makes absolutely no sense. Why do I feel this way when I'm not supposed to be able to feel at all? And before...that dream...the stammering, the nervousness...Why do these things keep happening out of no where? _

The gusty and swirling sound of a portal yanked the Cloaked Schemer right from his thoughts. He turned to face the incoming Nobody, blinking in relief when he realized who it was. "Vexen, back again so soon?"

Vexen nodded and wandered over to return the book to its shelf. "Yes, wrong book, unfortunately. You're in the exact spot you were five minutes ago. What are you doing in here?"

Zexion crossed his arms. "I'm always in here; I practically _live_ in here," he responded, his tone suggesting a hint of insult.

Vexen stared, taking a second to reword the question. "Yes, I know. I meant, what are you doing? You're just standing there, not even facing the bookshelf. You've got no book."

Zexion bit his bottom lip, annoyed with his own mistake. "Of course...I was merely thinking. A new surrounding rustles up more thoughts than the familiarity of my room."

Fortunately for Number 6, Vexen nodded and accepted the response. "That's an interesting theory. I should make sure I remember it. Farewell."

Zexion heaved a heavy sigh of aggravation. It appeared that he would have to return to his own room to recall the happenings of the day, reflect on them, and ask questions. All in his mind, all with himself. It was too risky to stay in the library, seeing as how the other curious members would try to start a conversation with him.

--

"Deeeemy!" Axel called, throwing himself in the doorway and pouncing into the room. He found Demyx lying on his bed, staring at the tv without interest. He looked bored to the extent of dying.

"About time," Demyx mumbled, sitting up and facing the other Nobody. Axel gave a wicked smile, remembering what he had been doing previous to entering the room.

"Yeah, hehe, sorry 'bout that! But enough about me, what's up with you and Mister Emo?" he asked, sitting on the chair across from the bed. He noticed that Demyx looked unusually depressed at the moment. The truth was, Demyx hated being blown off. And Axel knew that, even though he did it anyways.

"Nothing's up. Why would something be up? Unless you, oh, I don't know...Planned for something to be up?" He raised his eyebrows, a tired look on his face.

Axel frowned. Before he could talk to Demyx like usual, he'd have to get him cheered up a bit. "Look, I'm sorry that I blew you off before. But it was a really important moment...You know I'd never ignore you!"

Demyx shook his head to quickly dismiss the subject. A rare silence passed between them...

"So...nothing's up, huh?" Axel grinned, playfully throwing the small beanbag he found in the room at his friend. Demyx decided to act happy, even though he wasn't depressed for the reason Axel had assumed.

He forced a smile and threw the beanbag back. "That's what I said. Why?"

Axel's grin widened. "Well, I mean..when I went in Zexion's room, it took him _forever _to wake up. And he was all out of breath and sweaty and crap."

"What's your point? He was probably like that because you walked in there," Demyx cut in, raising an eyebrow.

Axel gave the most charming smile he could smirk up, and in a goofy deep voice, he chanted, "Well, my looks DO have that affect on people...!"

Demyx had to laugh. "No, idiot, I meant...Like, did you make it hot in his room or something? Maybe it's something automatic."

"Well, did it get hot when I came in _your _room?"

"..."

"Exactly."

Demyx rolled his eyes. "Why are you telling me this again?"

"I'm trying to prove to you how bad Zexion wants you! He wants your booody!" he cooed, shimmying in his chair like a moron. "I swear! I mean, come on. It's me you're talking to. Axel, your best friend! Love Master, the sexiest creature to ever exist...or, not exist...you get it. My point is, I know the signs!"

Demyx's eyes softened with newfound depression. He was beginning to feel lied to again. He shifted uncomfortably on his bed, averting his eyes from Axel's. "I know the common signs if someone likes you. Zexion isn't showing any at all..."

Axel sighed. "Well, what are these signs that you're talking about?"

"...Um...well, if he liked me, he'd talk to me a lot, come to see me, ask me out..."

"That's not true!" Axel interrupted. "You're the biggest hypocrite ever! You think that about him, yet you don't show any of those signs, either. It works both ways, you know. He could be in his room, thinking the exact same thing you're thinking. And then you both wait for the other to react, and then neither of you get what you want."

Demyx stared down at the floor, which suddenly seemed oh-so interesting. "I guess so..."

"But you're way more outgoing than Zexion is. He mostly keeps to himself, and I think hell will freeze over before he even attempts to admit to liking someone; even as a friend. He's all smart, and snooty, and-"

"No he's not," Demyx cut in swiftly. "He's smart, yeah. But he's polite, he's loyal, he's cute, and he's...just shy."

Axel laughed, deciding that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to make Demyx mad. "Ooh, my bad! I mean...He's got an awesome body, he's sexy, he's got great hair, and his eyes are to die for! And that's all just with his clothes on..."

"Quit it!" The Melodious Nocturne yelped, all too aware of the fact that he was blushing. He tried his hardest not to let the goofy, love-filled smile spread across his face, but he failed. Miserably.

Axel smiled and continued. "I mean, if you ask _me_, I think short guys are hot. The hottest, in fact! I bet he's really buff without that big heavy cloak on...Actually, I got a good look at him when we went in his room today! His shirt was off, and I saw those abs of his and-"

Number 8 found that a beanbag had connected with his face. "Shut _up_!" Demyx half giggled, trying to seem serious. His friend was achieving in making him blush, and painting a very vivid picture in his head. Demyx buried his face in his pillow, trying to shield his wide grin and red cheeks.

Axel laughed and threw the beanbag at the Melodious Nocturne's head. "Alright, alright. I'll stop talking about Zexion's steamin' hot bod and his sexy features. So what do _you_ want to talk about, then?"

Demyx fell silent, his grin widening and his eyes adjusting to the wall. He seemed to be thinking. Unfortunately for him, Axel never missed anything. "Oh, and just what are you thinking about, you horn dog?"

Demyx groaned as he jumped up from his bed. "Be right back!" he shouted behind him as he ran out of his room and towards the bathroom. Axel smiled and shook his head, well aware of everything that was going on. He wasn't lying when he said he knew every single sign.

Number 9 ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. He dashed over and tore off several sheets of toilet paper, then hastily stuffed them under his nose. Sighing, Demyx leaned back against the door and tried to steady his breathing, feeling the blood begin to trickle from his nose.

_Stupid Axel...he knew this would happen... _he thought to himself, a smile still glued to his face. Fortunately for Demyx, the nosebleed was over reasonably quick. He returned to his bedroom and sat across from Axel once more, sending him a glare.

The Flurry of Dancing Flames threw his hands up and gave the most innocent look that he could muster up. "What? Don't shoot me death glares already! You haven't even heard the best part of why I came in your room!"

Well aware of Axel and his...erm...ways...Demyx scooted away from his friend immediately. "Please don't rape me," he stated, seeming a bit annoyed.

The other's face fell. "No, moron. I'm gonna hook you and Zexion up. Trust me...I'm a doctor." Axel chuckled, allowing a coy and sexy grin to play across his lips. This only made Demyx all the more scared. "A _love _doctor..."

"Oh great," the Melodious Nocturne mumbled as Axel dragged him off of the bed. "This ought to be _fun_."

--

"Oh, would you hurry up?!" Larxene shouted over her shoulder as she trudged down a hallway.

"Well if _someone _would offer to help carry it, then I wouldn't be so behind!" Marluxia whined back, a frown sinking onto his face. He hobbled after Larxene, struggling to carry the huge cake that he could barely wrap his arms around.

"For Kingdom Heart's sake," Xaldin muttered, rolling his eyes. He plucked the cake out of Marluxia's hands and propped it up against his own shoulder, holding it there with his right arm.

They made it into the kitchen and set the cake down on a rather large table. "Great. Where the hell is Axel at? He was supposed to light the candles," Larxene nagged, tapping her boots on the shiny white floor.

"Well isn't he supposed to be fetching Zexion? After all, it's his birthday cake," Saix added in, glaring at Larxene and her annoying tapping.

Meanwhile, Axel was dragging Demyx down several hallways. "We have to make a pit stop first," he muttered, running towards the kitchen.

He grinned at the annoyed Organization members who were already in the room. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Just had to go get Dem. Oh, no one got Zexion yet?"

"No, _you_ were supposed to go get him," Larxene mumbled, sticking her nose in the air.

Axel swiftly glided around the table, still pulling the Melodious Nocturne along. He never stopped walking. "Oh, was I? That's right. I didn't have it memorized. I'll just go get him," he said in a casual, fast voice. He rounded the table and pointed at the candles, shooting flames onto each one as he walked. And before anyone could say anything, the speedy trickster was gone.

"What was all that about?" Demyx asked, dazed by the speed of the whole situation.

"Nothin'. We have to go get Zexion!" Axel smirked, creating a portal and dragging number 9 through it right behind him. They appeared directly outside of the Cloaked Schemer's door, wondering if he was inside.

Axel knocked twice, barely waiting three seconds before he just opened the door and forced Demyx into the room. "Zexion?" He called out, going deeper into the room.

Zexion stood from the chair he was in, slamming his book shut and tossing it onto his bed. "Axel, I _really _wish you wouldn't just barge into my room like this, ALL THE TIME." He groaned, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, baby, no time to explain. _You've _got to follow _us _into the kitchen right about now. You're very late, you know." Axel smirked, creating a portal.

Zexion stepped back, his eyes flickering to Demyx. "Why, what's in the kitchen? Do I want to know?"

Axel was still grinning, which scared the Cloaked Schemer even more. "I know you're the curious type. You'll just have to find out. Right, Dem?"

Demyx had been busy eying Zexion up and down. He managed to put a smile on his face and reply, "Yup! C'mon, Zexy, you've got to see for yourself!"

Zexion froze at the sound of Demyx's melodious voice. Number 9 ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and lead him through the portal. Axel stayed in the room for an extra second to laugh at his plan, which was unfolding before his eyes.

A dark, swirling vortex popped into the kitchen, three key Nobodies pouring out of it. "About fucking time," Larxene hissed, digging her nails into her crossed arms. The rest of the Organization smiled, half ignoring the fact that Zexion was late.

The Cloaked Schemer gazed at the cake, his eyes wide with fear. Cake. Sugar. Bleck. He never did like things that were very sweet. And this cake was gigantic. Not like, triple layer gigantic. More like monstrous, gargantuan, ceiling-scraping gigantic. Oooh shit.

"T-that cake...is for _me_?" He peeped, timidly glancing up at the chocolate mountain. Everyone in the room shook their head, grins playing across each face. "You can't possibly..."

"Well, it's your birthday. Who has a birthday without a cake?" Xigbar beamed, his devious smirk brightening. "Of course, we'll help you scarf it, dude."

Zexion swallowed. He didn't even want to be in the same room as the stupid thing. The overwhelming smell of fat educing sugary sweetness was almost too much for him to bear. He snorted, trying to blow the scent away.

And then it happened. His face turned atleast ten shades redder than Axel's hair for a second time that day...They started _singing._

"Happy happy birthday, from all of us to you! We wish it was our birthday, so we could party too! Happy happy birthday, may all your dreams come true! We wish it was our birthday, so we could party too! Yay!"

"I know you can't reach to blow out the candles, Short Stuff, so I'll help," Xaldin bellowed, summoning a small wind to blow the flames out. Then it carried the candles off of the cake and down to a plate below.

Demyx stared anxiously at the little wax treats, his mouth watering. "Zexy, are you gonna lick the candles?" He asked quickly, his eyes pleading for just one.

Zexion's thoughts froze at the sound of the familiar voice. "Of course not," he muttered, offering the Melodious Nocturne the entire plate. Demyx accepted them gratefully.

_Oh god..._Zexion's eyes widened as he watched Demyx. One by one he slid a candle between his lips, licking at the chocolate frosting, smiling and sighing in complete enjoyment.

Sweat beaded down the side of the Cloaked Schemer's face. In and out, quiet moan, a drip of saliva...

"Zexion, if you wanted one that bad, you shouldn't have given The Bottomless Pit over there the whole plate," Axel murmured into Number 6's ear, causing the breath to catch in Zexion's throat. The redhead smirked knowingly, looking down at the birthday boy.

Zexion backed away from Axel, glaring the most ghastly glare that he could manage. "I didn't want one," he hissed, seeming extremely angered.

Still, Axel grew even more amused. "Oh, I know you didn't want a candle. That's not what you want..." Zexion's eyes widened, realization dawning down upon him. His face was utterly terrified and shocked. "You don't know what you're talking about. Stop making innuendos like that."

The look of pure innocence washed over Axel's face. "What ever are you talking about?" He walked over towards the Cloaked Schemer, bending down very closely to his ear. He made sure that no other soul could hear his whispers now. "I know that you can barely control yourself right now, and that makes you pissed."

Zexion jerked away, even more enraged. Axel was so smug about knowing everything. Still, he had to play dumb. "I don't know what you're getting at."

Luckily, Xaldin saved him. "Here, Zexion. You get the first piece of cake." He sent a ginsu over to the enormous cake and chopped a slice off.

"I'm suddenly not feeling very well. Just save me a piece," He muttered, covering his mouth and his nose with his hand. This wasn't a complete lie. The smell really was making his stomach quite uneasy. But Axel had made him feel even worse.

The Cloaked Schemer turned around and glared up at Axel as he walked away. He growled at the smirk that the Flurry of Dancing Flames had given him. Axel knew, he really knew. Oh fucking shit.

--

"What did you tell him?" Demyx pleaded for the third time, mustering up his best pout face.

Axel sighed, closing his eyes. "I didn't tell him a thing! I just said happy birthday." He propped himself up against the wall, his legs dangling off of Demyx's bed.

Demyx was lying on the floor, glaring up at Axel. "Why would you _whisper _happy birthday? And he was all pissy after you said whatever it is you really said."

"Well, believe what you want. Maybe he's bipolar, who knows." Axel glanced down at Demyx, who still hadn't accepted any of his lies. "Why, what do you think I said?"

The Melodious Nocturne frowned, his face curious. "I honestly don't know. What in the world would make him so mad?" He muttered, half talking to himself.

Axel smirked. "Why don't you just go and ask him yourself?"

"Oh, yeah, that'd be _real_ nice." Demyx rolled his eyes at the very idea.

"Well, if you don't wanna know..."

Demyx sighed. "Fine, whatever. I don't care."

Axel laughed, staring down at his friend. "Lying so much will only send you straight to hell, babe."

"Already there, _babe_."

--

_Shit. He knows. What can I do to ensure that he doesn't open his big, homosexual mouth...? _

Zexion's fingers galloped across his desk, his mind churning. Knowing Axel, he'd attempt to try his hand at blackmail; which, at this point, would most likely work.

But how did the redhead figure out that he liked Demyx at all? Zexion couldn't recall a time that he said anything about it...was he actually being that obvious about the whole situation? Was he really?

"I've got to go talk to him," he muttered to himself, springing out of his chair. He needed to try to persuade Axel to keep his mouth shut (like it ever closed). Wow. He made a sexual innuendo. Hm.

Zexion half ran to his door, flinging it open and jumping out of his room. Too bad that there was a huge, blunt object in his path. A Nobody, actually. A very familiar, blonde, alluring, sexy, blue eyed-

"Ouch! Oh, sorry, Zexy. I was just on my way to see you," Demyx apologized, offering the other a hand up.

Zexion stood up hastily, brushing off his cloak. "It's fine," he mumbled, glaring at the floor. "What did you need?"

"Um...just...can we talk for a sec?"

"..."

"O-oh," the Melodious Nocturne stuttered awkwardly, rushing his words together. "I know you're busy, but I promise I'll only be a second."

Zexion breathed in short, choppy breaths that nearly seemed angry. His shoulders were tense, and his face was twisted into a frame of annoyance. And all of this was obliviously being caused by his uncontrollable nervousness. "Alright," he muttered with a bit of an edge to his voice, turning and rushing into his room.

Demyx's face was sad as he followed the other Nobody. Zexion turned around to face him, his head cocked slightly upward. He waited.

"Um...well..." Demyx started nervously.

"...Yes?"

"About Axel, I-"

The air caught in Zexion's throat. Axel...why was Demyx bringing up that flamer? Haha, flamer...sexual innuendo...he was getting a knack for this.

The Cloaked Schemer spoke up. "Axel?" he nearly hissed, glaring over to Demyx. "What might Axel have said to you?"

Demyx blinked at the sudden response. "Actually, I was coming to ask what he said to _you_. It looked like it really offended you..."

"When?" The anger was washed away with curiosity, and now he was actually into the conversation.

"Back when you were going to eat your cake," Demyx replied.

Zexion thought for a moment...that's when he had discovered that Axel _knew_...

"Oh, yes, that offended me alright."

A silence passed between the two. Demyx waited for him to explain. It would be rude to just go out and ask, but Zexion was being very quiet...

Finally, number 6 sighed and relaxed his stance. "Axel's quite the nosey one, isn't he?"

Demyx was caught off guard by the change of topic and emotion. "Um...oh, yeah, he really is. Sometime's he's _too_ nosey, and he can't leave things that aren't his business alone." He brought a hand to his chin, thinking of Mister Match Maker.

Zexion nodded, understanding. "Yes, so it would seem. Well in the kitchen, he said something that rather caught me off guard. He seems to have acquired some..._false_," he threw that part in there in case word spread to Demyx, "information about me. And the rumor was a bit upsetting."

The other waited politely again, but it was obvious that the new bit of info was as far as Zexion was taking it. "Oh, alright. I'll have to talk with him about keeping his nose out of everyone's business. Thanks, Zexy. I'll let you get back to your life now."

Demyx gave a timid smile and a curt wave before turning to leave. Zexion watched the portal dissipate into thin air, feeling quite depressed.

"D-don't worry about that _rumor_!" Zexion called to the remains of the portal. He slinked back into his room and closed the door, feeling a million more times depressed than he was before. Oh how he hated life. He'd come to the conclusion that he always had a sinking feeling whenever his blonde left.

_Wait a minute...my blonde? _He paused his own thoughts, scolding himself. Demyx was nowhere near his. Did Zexion even _want_ to 'own' the Melodious Nocturne? Haha, own...oh, he'd own him alright...

_Oh my god, stop!_ He jerked his hands up to tug at his hair, closing his eyes. He hated when his mind just took off like that. This was so out of his character. He could _not_ feel, he did _not_ like Demyx, and he most certainly was _not _gay.

He nodded his head hesitantly, letting a nervous smile break across his face. Man, these feelings were tearing him up. Maybe he could use some of that chocolate now. And yeah, he totally didn't like Demyx. Cause, like...he so wasn't gay.

--Zee next day--

"I wish you'd just go get him already," Xaldin complained as he crossed his bulky arms.

Lexaeus frowned. "_You're_ the one that he told to save him a piece, not me."

"Just put Zexion's piece of cake in the fridge, then." Luxord offered, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"God damn it, just leave it out. McSniffy will track it down. I'm so happy that the day's finally over. Zexion always makes these birthdays so difficult. Now we can get on with our normal lives!" Larxene scoffed.

The few Organization members that were in the room all shared a glance. Xigbar was the one who was man enough to say what they were all thinking.

"What a bitch." He grabbed the slice and teleported out of the room, shaking his head.

Larxene gawked at the Freeshooter's words and she rapidly looked around the room, waiting for the others to share her shock and rage. No one fit the description.

--

Xigbar strolled through the hollow halls of the Castle, his footsteps sounding heavy and deep with the reoccurring echo. He whistled boredly as he made his way to the Cloaked Schemer's room.

_Wonder what Zex is up to. Ha, I should really piss him off and just pop out of his ceiling again. Maybe I'll catch him with his shirt off like last time, and he'll get all self conscious. Little dork. _

A devious smirk curled onto Number 2's face as he peered down the hallway. Zexion's room was right there at the end, waiting in the shadows. Weird how the location of the room matched Number 6 completely.

Anyway, the room was only a few more yards away. Xigbar could easily stride down there, knock, deliver the cake, and then leave.

Ha. _Or _he could seep through the ceiling and make the twerp pop a blood vessel. However, the polite thing to do would be to just waltz down the hallway to the door...

Heh, _right_.

Xigbar teleported above the Cloaked Schemer's ceiling and started to phase through it. First the tip of his ponytail could be seen, then the top of his head, until finally his ears made it through...and oh what they heard.

He almost fell through the whole damn ceiling. Soft sighs, almost inaudible, little grunts and tiny groans. What the _fuck _was Zexion doing? Hmm, what the **fuck**...Maybe that's what he was doing...

Xigbar shoved his whole head down into Zexion's room and raked his eyes across the entire perimeter. He found the Cloaked Schemer double over and wheezing slightly, clutching at his sides.

The older Nobody erupted with laughter and fell from above. "Man, what a weird position to make sex noises! Are you fantasizing that someone's behind you or something?" He continued to laughed until Zexion didn't straighten up.

The younger Nobody was coughing and groaning, and his chest was moving up and down faster than a jackhammer. "X-Xigbar...I'm not..." he choked out. He managed to turn his head to look at the other with very serious eyes.

Xigbar's face fell. "Man, you're even whiter than usual. You...okay?" he asked nervously, completely concerned.

A piece of cake hit the floor...

--

"Just leave him be! I'll take care of it. Get out, he can't have more people crowding him than necessary!"

"But Vexen, the little dude looks dead! I... he won't... he's not gonna...?"

"Xigbar, he'll pull through if you leave the area right **now**. You're wasting precious time, and I need to tend to Zexion as soon as possible!"

The Freeshooter's face was contorted with worry and annoyance. Xigbar turned away from the sight of the unconscious Zexion breathing choppily on Vexen's lab table.

"Xigbar, tell Lexaeus that I'll need his assistance, stat. That'll be all I need from you. Do not return to my lab until you've heard from Xemnas that Zexion is stable."

Number 2 nodded and hurried off to give The Silent Hero his message. He found Lexaeus in the lower levels of the castle, and after the message was re-told, number 5 left quickly without a word.

Xigbar heaved out a heavy sigh and portalled off to Axel's room. The redhead was hanging upside down and halfway off his bed. He was listening to his ipod and twirling one headphone around in front of his face.

"Hey man," the Freeshooter began, closing the door and taking a seat. He must've looked noticeably shaken by something, because Axel immediately rolled over and turned off his ipod.

"Hey Xig, what's up? You look like something's bugging you or some shit."

"Y-yeah, I just got out of Vexen's lab..." he began dramatically, his one eye darting about. He looked as if he were about to tell some ghost story.

"What, did he experiment on you?" Axel began to laugh, sliding off his bed and nearly landing on his face. He jumped back up to his feet and sat down correctly on his bed.

"Naw, dude, it's Zexion. I just saw him faint, and...and maybe _die_! If he dies, man, if he dies, I'm gonna be haunted for life! I fuckin _saw_ it!" Xigbar shouted, standing up and pacing around the room.

The Flurry of Dancing Flames suddenly grew very serious, and his musical blonde friend was the first who came to mind. "Woah woah, hold on a sec. He fainted? How come? You are sure that he's not like..dead..right?"

Xigbar shook his head. "I'm not sure why, man, I don't even know. But Vexen said he might be okay."

Axel flung his hand out and created a portal. "I'll be right back, I have to take care of something. Sorry Xig, talk to you later!"

--

By the time number 8 arrived at his destination, Demyx was plucking a few strings boredly on his sitar. He sighed inwardly. "Nothing I play sounds good today," he complained, sliding his instrument off of his lap. "Kind of odd. That usually happens when I feel down or I'm having a bad day."

Just then, a swirling vortex appeared in the middle of the Melodious Nocturne's room. He practically already knew it would be Axel. "Finally back, huh, Axe? Where've you been all day?" he began before anyone even stepped out of the portal.

When Axel emerged from the darkness, his face was robbed of a smile and extremely serious. Demyx's smile faded as well. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen with you and Roxas?"

"No, Dem...it's... Xigbar stopped by my room today," he began awkwardly while scratching the back of his head and walking across the room. He paused for a moment and let out a sigh. Turning to face Demyx, he said, "You do know that Zexion fainted today..."

Number 9's face grew white. "H-he fainted?!" He yelped, jumping off his bed. "Why, how, what the hell happened?!" He ran over to Axel, looking very confused. "I have to go see him!" He created a portal, overlooking the fact that he had no idea where Zexion was.

His friend grabbed Demyx's arm and tugged him back, letting the swirling darkness disappear. "No, Dem, you can't. I don't know why he fainted, or even what's wrong now. But I figured if it were Roxas, I'd want you to tell me something like this..."

The Melodious Nocturne sat back down on his bed, moving his head from time to time and shaking just a bit. His eyes couldn't stay in a steady spot for long, and the silence in the room was making things awkward. Amazing how many dormant feelings awaken when someone thinks their loved one could die.

Axel put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Demy-Baby, he'll be okay. You know how stubborn that little twerp is!" He laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "Xigbar said that Vexen-"

_That's it._ Demyx heard the slip that he was waiting for. "Vexen's lab," he mumbled, standing up and creating a portal. He slipped through it so quickly that Axel could only blink in disbelief.

"Aw shit! Demyx, you're gonna screw me and Xigbar over..." Axel stayed seated in Demyx's room, knowing that if he tagged along and went into Vexen's lab like he wasn't supposed to, he'd just get in all the more trouble.

--

"Vexen!" Demyx stormed out of the portal and made his way towards the scientist in front of him. Number 4 whipped around and hovered over the Melodious Nocturne intimidating.

"Number 9, you're not permitted to be in here. Zexion may not be stable enough to-"

He was silenced when Demyx shoved his way past the Chilly Academic, nearly knocking the older Nobody off of his feet. The young water manipulator stared up at Lexaeus, but Demyx didn't back down. Though, he also wasn't stupid enough to try and do the same that he'd done with Vexen. Quickly, he darted around Number 5 and ran to the table that Zexion was laying on.

"Zexy!" he cried out, skidding to a stop and staring down at the still body that lay before him. He couldn't even tell if the illusionist's chest was moving up and down at all. His face was pale and shiny with sweat.

"No, Zexion!" Demyx shouted again, reaching a hand out cautiously. He was afraid to touch him, afraid to damage him in any way. "No, damn it! How can...how the hell can you die if you don't have a heart, Zexy? You can't! So don't even try it! Don't you die on me!"

"Lexaeus," Vexen instructed with a sad nod. The Silent Hero nodded as well and grabbed the Melodious Nocturne by the arms. The scientist created a portal in the middle of the room.

"Stop!" Number 9 screamed out, wiggling and squirming to try and break free of Lexaeus' rock-like hold. Still, he failed. But he was not about to let himself get thrown into a portal. Not when Zexion was in such a crucial state.

"Zexion, you have to stay alive! I don't know what's wrong with you, but pull through! You can't die just a day after your birthday. You...you can't leave me here alone! I...I-!"

Lexaeus sighed and shoved Demyx through the portal. The Melodious Nocturne fell on the floor, but when he looked up, he realized it was the floor of his own room. He punched the ground with his fists. "Damn it!"

Axel raised an eyebrow. He sighed and shook his head, slipping off the bed and kneeling down on the floor beside his best friend. He put a hand on the other's shoulder while saying, "Demyx, he'll be fine."

"No Axe, you didn't see him. He...looked dead," he whispered into his own hands. He leaned into Axel's chest and began to sob.

Axel closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Demyx. Man, he knew the kid was sensitive, but geez. He never lead on that he liked Zexion this much. Being best friends, the redhead didn't even feel awkward with being thrown into comforting his crying companion. Guess he was just feeling sympathetic for once. He let out a sigh and rubbed Demyx's back, repeating, "It'll be alright...He'll be okay."

--

A week passed by and no one had any clue about Zexion's condition. Vexen and Lexaeus had moved him to a random part of the castle, leaving Demyx without a way to see him. It was their plan to keep this unknown until the Cloaked Schemer was healed, which obviously hadn't happened yet.

Demyx would often keep himself in his room, picking boredly at his sitar or uninterestingly poking at water. He just lost interest in anything now. It killed him that he didn't know anything at all, not even if Zexion was okay. He didn't _want_ a way to cope, a way to be happy. He felt like depression was just the right mood for this kind of situation.

Axel would visit him the most, seeing as how he was the only one who actually knew that Demyx liked Zexion "that way." Roxas would visit along with Axel sometimes, though the pyro never bothered to tell his boyfriend the whole situation with Dem. Even Xigbar checked to see if the little water manipulator was alright. Hell, he hadn't seen him out of his room in ages.

Other than his friends, Demyx stayed in his room alone. Most of the time he was idly staring at the wall. At first, he'd attempted to portal into random rooms and chambers of the castle. But seeing as how the castle was fucking humongous, it never worked.

Boredly, he opened a portal and summoned a heartless. But as the little shadow scurried around his feet, an idea grew into his head. "That's it...that's _it! _It'll take an eternity, but it'll work. And if I get to figure out if Zexy is okay, it's worth it."

Demyx called forth as many heartless and dusks as he could fit into his room. He instructed each one to portal into each room of the castle and search for Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion. Of course, the castle had many...many..MANY rooms. So he sat there for about two hours, calling forth the little demon creatures and telling them to go into a room that was vacant of any heartless or dusk he'd already sent.

By that time, he was collapsed on his bed. His strength was completely zapped from calling forth such a massive number of heartless. He could barely even raise his arm anymore. Slowly, he held his hand out and a darkness began to flicker and pulse until it finally swirled into a portal. He instructed yet another heartless and sent it on it's way.

--

"Vexen, he's been in the same condition for seven days, if not worse. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Vexen growled and glanced at the machines in front of him. Zexion had no heart, but it was very clear that Nobodies could die nevertheless. And without a heart, it was hard to tell what the problem even was. There was no heart beat, no pulse, no blood pressure.

"Xemnas already thinks this is too much trouble for just one Nobody. He says a problem with a Nobody is one-sided and can't be fixed. He wants me to let number 6 die, but I won't do that yet. I'm interested in this odd occurrence."

Lexaeus shook his head. Vexen only wanted Zexion alive so that he could figure out what this huge illness was. Ever since Zexion arrived unconsciously, he stayed in a coma-like state. His breathing would eventually grow very hectic, and he'd sputter and gasp for air. Over the days, the episodes had grown longer and more strugglesum.

In the far corner of the room, a shadow inconspicuously spat out a tiny heartless. Golden eyes blinked at the tall Nobodies in the distance. The creature wiggled its antennae with the knowledge that its goal was reached. It jumped back in the portal to relay the message to Demyx.

The Melodious Nocturne was nearly passed out on his bed by now, completely and utterly exhausted. His eyes couldn't stay open any longer, and as they shut, he caught a tiny glimpse of an ecstatic heartless jumping before him. Demyx gave as much as a smile as he could, knowing that he could soon see Zexion. _Zexy..._he thought happily before everything went black.

--

"Mmm...what...?"

"Demyx, you've been sleeping for nearly two days. Are you alright?"

"...Ax...el?"

Demyx dragged his tired eyes open, his vision wavering. He finally focused on the red spikes before him, then the cat-like eyes, until his sight finally adjusted from his slumber.

"Yeah, Dem. Roxas tried checking on you yesterday, but you never woke up. We got worried, so I woke you up today," Axel explained, straightening up. He'd been leaning forward over the Melodious Nocturne.

"Oh!" the blonde yelped, jolting upright. He whipped his head to the left and then the right, grinning when he saw that the heartless was still sitting in the corner where it last was.

Number 8 followed his friend's gaze over to the shadow creature. "Oh yeah, that thing wouldn't leave. I opened a portal for it, but it wouldn't get in. Little bastard. What's wrong with it?"

Number 9 leaped from his bed and ran over to the heartless. "I sent it to search for the room that Vexen and everyone's in, and it finally found them! I can see Zexion!"

Axel stood up as well, rubbing his neck. "Listen, Dem, I'm not sure this is such a good-"

But the boy was already gone in an eager attempt to see the only person he'd ever liked..he'd ever loved.

--

Demyx ran through the portal so fast that his feet couldn't keep up with the momentum of his body. He fell forward out of the vortex and slid across the hard floor, crashing into a Nobody and causing them to go crashing down as well.

"Ooow," Demyx wheezed, feeling the full weight of Lexaeus on his back. The Silent Hero jumped up and jerked Number 9 off of the floor as well, glaring at him scoldingly.

The blonde ripped his arm from the man's grasp before he was thrown into a portal again like last time. "Where's Zexion?" he asked a bit frantically, afraid that he'd be hurled back in his own room before he found his answer.

The Melodious Nocturne jogged around Lexaeus and shoved Vexen out of the way. His sapphire eyes jolted around the room until they finally seemed to settle on a lab table.

Demyx gasped slightly, his eyes widening. "Z...Zexion," he tried to say, though only his lips moved. He walked forward, but he found it hard to move without his weak legs falling beneath him.

Zexion was sitting up from the lab table, completely conscious. His head rotated towards the direction of the loud noises before, and his eyes widened a bit as well when they lay to rest on the blonde before him.

"Zexion!" Demyx choked out, stumbling towards him. "I thought you were dead! Xigbar told us you fainted, and no one heard anything about you for a week. I thought..."

The Cloaked Schemer blinked and turned his head, a soft pink spreading across his cheeks. "Demyx, please...I'm fine."

"But what if you would've died?!" Demyx barked, startling everyone in the room. All of the anger and the worry and the sadness that he'd built up in the past week suddenly exploded out of him. The entire 7 days' supply of tears spilled from his eyes.

Zexion looked at Demyx in shock. He was at a loss for words and could only try to remember how to breathe. He sat there awkwardly, watching the blonde cry. _Demyx is crying...crying for _me_...tears shed for someone like me_...

"I-I wasn't in any real danger. Not really. I guess," he lied, trying to drown out the horrible and gut churning sounds of Demyx sobbing right in front of his face.

"What was wrong?" number 9 coughed out, his voice broken up from crying.

"No one told me that there was cinnamon in the cake. I'm allergic to it. And ginger...and vanilla," he sighed, glaring at the floor. All of that stuff that he was allergic to had lead to a terrible reaction that nearly closed his throat up.

Vexen growled from somewhere behind them. "Yes, I feel like such a fool for not being able to recognize something as simple as an allergy. If only you'd told us that you had food allergies, number 6."

The Cloaked Schemer rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "See, Demyx, just a food allergy. It was silly of you to worry for me."

Demyx sniffed and looked up at Zexion. He didn't care if the illusionist hated his guts and wanted to shank him with a plastic spoon until he died, the Melodious Nocturne was going to tell him how he felt right _now._

All of the tears that he'd been storing, all of the time that he'd liked Zexion and now the weeks that he'd discovered the love, it all came spurting out of Demyx in a compact little rush of three words. "I love you!"

Zexion was forced to look at the sparkling, tearful blue eyes before him. He was stunned, completely paralyzed. He finally managed to blink and give a sigh, breaking his gaze. "Vexen, Lexaeus, can you give us a minute?"

The two Nobodies grunted below their breath as they portalled out of the room. Zexion glanced over at Demyx again, but he could only look at the boy for two seconds before tearing his gaze away.

"Demyx, you don't know what you're saying," he said in a monotonous voice, his expression vacant.

"Yes I do, Zexion. I've liked you for about as long as I can remember, and I've come to love you. If there's anything I'm certain of, it's this feeling!"

"You _cannot_ feel!" Zexion screamed, causing Demyx to flinch. _There, that's it,_ he thought to himself sadly as he looked at the hurt face in front of him. _I've gotten through to him. Now I won't accidentally tell him everything. Now I won't ever accidentally hurt him later on. This is as it should be. A Nobody isn't supposed to feel. I don't know why we can, but we should try to ignore it..._

"You're **wrong**!" Demyx shouted back, standing up and thoroughly shocking the hell out of Zexion. "I can obviously feel, and so can you! I don't care if you _do _hate me, Zexy! I still had to tell you that I love you...Just know that, okay?" his voice lowered and shook at the last part of his sentence, new tears slipping down his face.

The Cloaked Schemer's jaw dropped slightly. Demyx had never gotten so angry and defensive with anyone like that. "What do you mean,'even if I _do_ hate you'?"

Demyx looked down at his feet, watching the droplets as they dripped off his face. "That's why you keep saying all of this stuff, why you don't care that I spent an entire week going through hell. I starved, it was going on days that I was awake. Thinking you might've died...it killed me. I wanted to die, too. Why else would you let me suffer in vain?"

Zexion's breath hitched in his throat. "Demyx, don't ever say that," he muttered, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Well then why!" the blonde sobbed, his shoulders shaking.

"Because I'm afraid, Demyx! I'm scared to death of all these new feelings! I've lived my whole life without feeling a god damned thing, but here you come, making me feel all this shit that I've been brought up to believe could never happen as a Nobody! How was I supposed to react when I discovered that I love you?" he grumbled angrily, clenching his fists.

Demyx looked up at Zexion, disbelief written clearly across his face. "Y-you love me too?" he whispered, feeling very dizzy.

The Cloaked Schemer nodded, closing his eyes. This was it, this was everything he never wanted to admit but always needed to express. He knew that he was scared now, but he'd be thankful later.

The blonde stared into the eyes of this man, the only one he ever loved and the only who ever loved him back. The caged feelings and needs were released again, and Demyx sprang at them.

Grasping Zexion's face in his hands a bit roughly, he pulled the Nobody in and kissed him desperately, tears still running down his face. But these were tears of a different breed; tears of joy at last.

Zexion snapped beneath the pressure. All of his previous beliefs went out the window, the ones of Nobodies being emotionless and his denial about loving Demyx. He kissed back with equal passion, letting out the hungry desperation that Demyx expressed as well.

The two were finally together at last. They'd admitted their feelings and would now be another happy couple in castle oblivion. As Demyx began to try and slip off Zexion's cloak a few minutes later in the frenzy of built up emotions, a snicker could be heard in the back of the room.

There Axel pushed off from the wall he was leaning on, his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. He smirked as he looked at his stupid blonde friend who, in his haste to find Zexion, never bothered to close the portal behind him, which had allowed the redhead to tag along.

He walked over to the two and snickered, shocking them out of their very first makeout session. He pointed to Demyx and said, "I told you that Zexion wanted your body." He then pointed to the Cloaked Schemer. "I told you that you had the hots for Dem. Thank you, have a nice day. I am Mister Match Maker."

Zexion blushed madly at being caught in such an awkward moment, but Demyx just laughed, finally glad that all of the stress was done with.

Axel grinned as he opened a portal to leave. "You guys never listen to me. Good thing I took this relationship upon myself! I planned everything out. Okay, now get back to making out. Go have sex," he snickered evilly, pouncing into the portal at the thought of the word 'sex' and his boyfriend Roxas.

Demyx smiled. "Gladly," he growled, pushing Zexion onto the ground and getting on top of him, planting more kisses along the Nobody's neck.

Zexion didn't object and only smiled, seriously doubting that everything was Axel's plot. His eyes looked to watch Axel's feet as he left through the portal. But Zexion's eyes grew big as he saw a tiny brown bottle drop from number 8's cloak.

_That...that fucker! He...no way..._

_Vanilla. _

--End--

A/N: First, I'm sorry if the story is a bit iffy with keeping flow. I've been up since forever o'clock, and I get stupid with grammar when I'm tired. Okay personally, I like the past-beginning, middle, and end more than the very beginning. I just don't feel all that pleased with it. Hmm…opinions?


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